FEEDING-STUFFS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ANIMALS; METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PRODUCTION THEREOF

Description

Covers formulated animal feeds, pet foods, livestock supplements, and aquaculture feeds designed for specific nutritional or therapeutic purposes. Includes methods for manufacturing, processing, and preparing feed compositions tailored to particular animal species, production stages, or health requirements. The subclass encompasses feed additives (vitamins, minerals, probiotics), specialized formulations for poultry, ruminants, fish, and companion animals, as well as processing techniques such as pelleting, extrusion, and fermentation. Does not extend to general food preservation or human foodstuffs covered under A23B or A23C.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass A23K recorded 106,027 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings declined from 7,644 in 2013 to 6,446 in 2023 (-16%), peaking at 14,604 applications in 2017. The most active applicants in class A23 are KVASENKOV OLEG IVANOVICH (6,158 applications), NESTLE (4,562 applications) and NESTEC (3,354 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings